When I Grow Up: Fueling Dreams Through Child Sponsorship
A sneak peek into our latest child sponsorship campaign.
Written by Karis Leung
on September 17, 2025
Every child’s dream deserves a chance
Every child has the right to dream. To become a football player, a bus driver, a doctor. To grow up strong, safe, and free. But for millions of children around the world, those dreams are blocked by barriers that no child should have to face: hunger, lack of education, unsafe environments and the daily struggle for clean water.
Our latest child sponsorship campaign, “When I Grow Up”, is a storytelling-led initiative that highlights children’s dreams and the measurable ways sponsorship helps them move closer to who they want to be.
We’re inviting Canadians into a purposeful partnership through child sponsorship, transforming the act of giving into walking alongside a child and their community.
Turning barriers into bridges
In many parts of the world, children face barriers that prevent them from accessing education, healthcare, clean water and safety. These barriers don’t just limit their present—they steal their future.
Child sponsorship is designed to change that narrative. By becoming a child sponsor, you can help provide:
- Access to quality education so children can learn and grow.
- Clean water and nutritious food to support healthy development.
- Protection from violence and exploitation, ensuring safe environments.
- Community empowerment that lifts entire families out of poverty.
These aren’t just challenges. They’re preventable roadblocks. And together, we can help remove them.
“World Vision’s support helped me see barriers as opportunities. Without them, becoming self-sufficient, and supporting others would have been a distant dream.” - Martha, former sponsored child (Ethiopia)
The impact of child sponsorship
Child sponsorship is more than a donation. It’s a partnership. It’s a way to walk alongside a child and their community, helping to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of their dreams. In 2024 alone, child sponsors:
- Provided 726,491 reading materials
- Supported 168,028 children in literacy activities
- Delivered school supplies to 75,667 children
“Now, I no longer have to walk long distances. I get to school on time, I wash my clothes, and most importantly, I drink clean water.” - Emilie, sponsored child (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
From dreamers to doers
A child kept out of the classroom today can become part of tomorrow’s global crisis. But with your help, they can become part of the solution. A future leader. A healer. A changemaker.
When you sponsor a child, you’re not just giving them a chance to dream—you’re giving them the tools to make those dreams real.
Visit when-i-grow-up.worldvision.ca to learn more and become a child sponsor today.
"I'm proud to teach others…I want to educate the young generation to understand...our culture and history." - Phanet, former sponsored child and Gr. 5 teacher (Cambodia)